Doug Lawrence
“Think of Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra. They were able to touch our collective soul with their extraordinary sense of phrasing. Tenor man Doug Lawrence has got it. His phrasing is fluid, relaxed, conversational and charming, just like his easy going, seductive Southern drawl.” – Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times Magazine
“The professional credentials Doug Lawrence has racked up are astonishing!” – Howard Mandel, Downbeat Magazine
Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, saxophonist Doug Lawrence spent over 20 years making a name for himself in New York City. Among the artists Doug has performed and recorded with include – Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, Billy Eckstine, Jimmy Cobb, Frank Wess, Anita O’Day, Buck Clayton, Dakota Staton, Wild Bill Davis, Benny Carter, Bobby Short, Eddie Durham, Stevie Wonder, Diane Schuur, Patti Austin, The Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra, Dennis Mackrel’s Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, George Bensen, Lizz Wright, Marlena Shaw, Nnenna Freelon, Ledisi , Jamie Cullum and many others.
As the featured tenor saxophone soloist with the Legendary 18-time Grammy award winning Count Basie Orchestra, Doug has toured the world extensively. The Basie Orchestra has no parallel in jazz. They have won more awards, polls and Grammys than any other jazz big band in history. The chair Doug fills (1st tenor) has been inhabited by a virtual “who’s who” of jazz tenor saxophonists. They include – Lester Young, Hershel Evans, Don Byas, Eli “Lucky” Thompson, Budd Johnson, Buddy Tate, Illinois Jacquet, Wardell Gray, Paul Quinechette, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell, Sal Nistico, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Jimmy Forrest and Kenny Hing.
Dave Young
“To my way of thinking, Dave Young is one of the most talented bassists on the jazz scene. His harmonic sympatico and unerring sense of time have kept him in the foreground of the jazz picture.” —Dr. Oscar Peterson
“...Flawless time, big buoyant tone and bold solo ideas…keen instincts and depth of musicality. The results of (his playing) are a testament to his ability to listen and adapt his concept of time from player to player.”–Bill Milkowski, JAZZ TIMES
Toronto-based and Winnipeg-born multiple award-winning bassist and composer Dave Young, is, without a doubt, one of Canada’s most valuable and beloved musical exports. Whether he’s performing as part of a classical symphony, or as an integral member of an iconic jazz trio (with the likes of the late Oscar Peterson), or leading any of his dynamic ensembles, Dave remains a total musician, with artistic soul in abundance. He first began studying the guitar and violin at age ten, but a turn of events at his first gig (a University dance band) compelled him to pick up the bass. Equally comfortable in the worlds of orchestral classical music and jazz, Dave is a multiple threat. As a classical musician, he has been a member of The Edmonton Symphony, The Winnipeg Symphony and The Hamilton Philharmonic. As a jazz artist, he is a chameleon-like bassist, who often shines brightest in collaborative efforts with other musicians. Because of his technical skill, few bassists (jazz or otherwise) are able to dig in, swing hard and still render a lyrical solo as Dave can.
Dave Young – Bass
Doug Lawrence – Sax
Kirk MacDonald – Sax
Mark Eisenman -Piano
Terry Clarke – Drums
Dough Lawrence Quartet with “Tokyo Blues.”…. sounds like Lester Young to me……
